It's the last "Friday Funhouse" post of 2011.
It feels super weird typing that and even weirder reading it on the screen. Where did this year go? I guess we always say that, but it seems particularly true this go-round.
Usually, the "Funhouse" is a recap of the major happenings in that given week. With it being the end of the year and all, I decided to switch things up.
For this edition of "Friday Funhouse," I decided to recap all the big events that happened in 2011. It'd be too massive to post about everything that happened in the world or even the country.
Instead, I decided to focus on the major happenings in my life in 2011. Here's what it looked like:
-- We bought our first house. It wasn't easy. We worked our butts off to get our credit right. We jumped through financing hoops. We looked at a multitude of houses. We made offers. We experienced highs and lows. We ended up with our dream house. God is good.
-- I started this blog in August. After a couple of name-changes and focus-shifts, "TheIsleofMan.net" has finally found a niche and a permanent home.
-- I read "30 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo" by Bryan Allain. This isn't so much an accomplishment as much as it is just something monumental that happened in my life. If you are a good writer, you read this book and you apply the methods, you will succeed. Guaranteed.
-- Traffic increased. After I read Bryan Allain's book, I made some serious changes to this blog. I re-focused my efforts. I got serious about blogging. In roughly one month, the number of pageviews has gone from about 1,200 to over 6,000. I'm not bragging. Those numbers are super weak compared to what a lot of bloggers do. It's cool. I'm just getting started.
-- I met a lot of really cool people and made some new friends through this site. If you've stopped by, read my posts and commented, I appreciate it. I know there are still a lot of you who are readers but not active participants. I look forward to seeing you come out of the woodworks in 2012.
What were the high points of your 2011??
Kevin, I need to re-read Blogging Mojo. I experienced some improvement, but not the growth you did. Congrats on the pregnancy and house.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff. Congrats on the blog growth. You are killing it man. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteEdit: The number of site visits is now at almost 8k. The Tamara Lunardo interview was a big hit. Thanks Tamara!
ReplyDeleteLarry, thanks for the congrats.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to the disparity in our successes, it's hard to say what the deal is without me seeing the big picture. Also, numbers don't always come right away. Ultimately, it's a lot more important to have a small, but growing, group of followers who
comment daily and are good about RT'ing your posts, etc. I'm still working on that. I'm "finding my tribe."
I'm certainly no expert, but I'd be willing to talk blogging with you someone. Shoot, I'm sure there's plenty I can learn from you! I'm still a relative noob. :) Email me sometime. We'll talk.
Larry, thanks for the congrats.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to the disparity in our successes, it's hard to say what the deal is without me seeing the big picture. Also, numbers don't always come right away. Ultimately, it's a lot more important to have a small, but growing, group of followers who
comment daily and are good about RT'ing your posts, etc. I'm still working on that. I'm "finding my tribe."
I'm certainly no expert, but I'd be willing to talk blogging with you someone. Shoot, I'm sure there's plenty I can learn from you! I'm still a relative noob. :) Email me sometime. We'll talk.
Thanks Rob. I've been blessed. I owe a good deal of thanks to people like you who have graciously given me advice, RT'ed my stuff, guest posted and just overall helped me through the process.
ReplyDelete